Chapter 193 Normal People

As Lin Ma put the newspaper into the burlap sack, she said emphatically, "This is a newspaper from Beijing, it has a different meaning."

Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow and teased with a smile, "As long as you don't mind the effort, that's fine. Besides, if you buy a newspaper from the county town and say it's from Beijing, no one will be able to tell the difference."

After a long silence, Lin's mother slowly said, "That's just self-deception. I don't like doing that."

Although she said that, she was filled with regret. Why hadn't she thought of such a good idea? No wonder her daughter was so capable; her mind worked so fast.

Indeed, people who are too honest are prone to being taken advantage of.

When the two walked from the brigade to the village entrance where the production team was located, the sun was already high in the sky, almost noon. Fortunately, it was still autumn, so it wasn't hot to walk under the sun.

At this moment, under the big tree at the entrance of the village, the women were chatting together. When they saw Lin Yuanshu and his mother returning to the production team, they greeted them very warmly.

Grandma Sun pursed her lips, walked up to Grandma Lin, and asked with a smile, "Didn't you go to the city to take care of your granddaughter? Why are you back? Did you not get used to living in the city?"

Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude. Both of them had married their daughters off to the city, but her daughters practically ignored them, while Lin Yuanshu was able to take his mother to the city to enjoy a life of luxury. She was truly indignant.

However, she didn't dare to openly make things difficult for the Lin family. Offending Lin Yuanshu would only give her some verbal satisfaction at best.

Upon hearing this, Lin's mother excitedly took out the newspaper from the burlap sack and distributed a copy to everyone present. She said with great enthusiasm, "I didn't really want to go back to the production team; it's quite a hassle going back and forth. But my daughter won two National Medical and Health Science Awards and one National Medical and Health Science Advanced Individual Award at the National Medical Conference. Such a glorious achievement for the family must be shared with our ancestors. This is a newspaper from Beijing reporting on my daughter; I brought it here specifically for you to see..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. What Lin Ma said was beyond their imagination. The National Medical and Health Science Award sounded very impressive.

Although they were literate, they didn't know many words and only had a superficial understanding of the content published in the newspaper. However, they recognized the three characters "Lin Yuanshu".

Despite everyone's silence, Lin's mother didn't give up on showing off. She continued, "Don't you all know what the National Pharmaceutical Conference is? Researchers from the entire national pharmaceutical industry submit their research findings, and the most outstanding research is selected. My daughter's research won an award and even received a certificate of honor. Let me show you my daughter's certificate of honor..."

Hearing her mother's self-praising words, Lin Yuanshu's face turned red uncontrollably. She was too embarrassed to stay there and be stared at by everyone, so she took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her and quietly left, heading home.

After Lin's mother explained the whole story, the older women wanted to chat with Lin Yuanshu and try to get closer to him.

Unfortunately, Lin Yuanshu had already disappeared, so they could only say things praising Lin's mother and Lin Yuanshu in an attempt to please Lin's mother.

Lin's mother was flattered by everyone and felt quite elated. She felt like she had inexhaustible energy, all her previous frustrations had vanished, and she felt extremely comfortable.

She feigned modesty, saying, "You're all praising her too much. She still has room for improvement. You don't need to return the newspaper to me. Take it home and show it to your families. This is not only an honor for my daughter, but also an honor for our production team..."

Sun Ma couldn't stand seeing Lin Ma so smug, so she said sarcastically, "Your daughter is really something. By the way, where's your son-in-law? Why didn't he come back to the production team with you? Could it be that your daughter is so successful that your son-in-law feels ashamed and has no face to go back to the production team?"

Lin's mother retorted loudly, "How could my son-in-law have such thoughts? There are plenty of people who are not as good as my daughter, and I've never seen anyone who is embarrassed to go out. For example, your son is not as good as my daughter, but he is still comfortable going out. How could my son-in-law be embarrassed to go out? He stays at home to take care of the child. The child is only five months old now. I can't bear to let her travel long distances with us at such a young age."

Grandma Sun: "..."

She had no words to refute Lin Ma, blaming her son for being useless.

Seeing this, the other women all sided with Lin's mother, praising her with smiles: "You really chose a good son-in-law. He's actually willing to stay home and take care of the children. It's not easy to find a son-in-law like that."

"Of all the production teams, your daughter has the best marriage."

Lin's mother nodded in agreement, saying, "My son-in-law's only flaw is that he doesn't talk much, but he's hardworking! He's willing to do housework and take care of the children at home. No other man can compare to him in this respect. If my son-in-law hadn't managed the household so well, my daughter wouldn't have been able to achieve such great success without any worries."

The older women were once again impressed by Lin's mother. From the son-in-law's perspective, having such a wife must be quite stressful. But from the daughter's perspective, this kind of husband is the best—he can earn money and take care of the family.

Sun's mother touched her nose and said shamelessly, "Not talking much also means that you don't like to go out and flirt. This is not a flaw, it is clearly a virtue! If this were my son-in-law, he would be laughing in his dreams."

To put it nicely, he's a son-in-law; to put it bluntly, it's no different from a live-in son-in-law. After all, she heard from her daughter that Lin Yuanshu's child would have the surname Lin, not Zhou. However, she didn't tell anyone about this, as it would only make everyone more envious of the Lin family.

Lin Yuanshu's methods are truly superior; he's capable of doing something like this. She doesn't envy that Lin Yuanshu's child has the surname Lin, since she doesn't lack grandchildren. Rather, she envies Lin Yuanshu's ability to manipulate her in-laws. If her daughter were even a fraction like Lin Yuanshu, she would have been taken to the city to enjoy a life of luxury long ago.

Lin's mother covered her mouth and laughed heartily, her eyes full of pride. "He's not as good as you say."

Sun's mother forced a smile. To be honest, she really wanted to leave, but if she just left, wouldn't that show her dissatisfaction with Lin's mother? She was still hoping that her son could get a job at the mosquito coil factory, so she couldn't afford to fall out with the Lin family at this time.

The only option is to stay and flatter Lin Ma, which will make it seem like her previous words were unintentional, at most a bit harsh, but not malicious.

Lin Ma was quite pleased to see Sun Ma, who clearly looked dissatisfied but had to flatter her. Others were unhappy, but she was happy.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuanshu returned home, where his father and father were busy in the kitchen, warmly welcoming him back.

When Lin's father learned that Lin Yuanshu had won the award, he was so excited that he couldn't speak.

Lin Yuanfeng was a little disappointed when she didn't see her brother-in-law. She wouldn't be able to eat the super delicious meal. However, she was still very happy that her sister was home.

After calming down, Lin's father asked with a smile, "Where's your mother?"

Lin Yuanshu explained, "I was chatting with the older women at the village entrance."

Lin's father instantly understood what Lin Yuanshu meant: he read it as chatting, but in reality, he was showing off.

Afterwards, the three of them busied themselves in the kitchen. While cutting meat, Lin's father asked Lin Yuanshu about the award.

Lin Yuanshu buried sweet potatoes in the stove and answered her father's question, saying that she missed roasted sweet potatoes.

Lin Yuanfeng was the assistant, helping out whoever was too busy.

Lin's mother was so engrossed in chatting at the village entrance that Lin Yuanfeng had to call her to lunch to bring her home. She was very reluctant to say goodbye to these older women.

During lunch, Lin's father drank a little wine, something he hadn't done in a long time. He was so happy. He, as a father, was incompetent, but his daughter was capable, able to serve the country and develop better medicines to help others. Nothing could be more gratifying than this.

Out of consideration for the joyous occasion, Lin's mother didn't stop Lin's father from drinking, but quietly reminded him, "Drink less, we're going to visit the graves this afternoon!"

Lin's father patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After the meal, the Lin family received a steady stream of guests, most of whom came to see Lin Yuanshu, each with their own purpose.

They either wanted Lin Yuanshu to help them find jobs, or they wanted him to help them get jobs at the mosquito coil factory, or they wanted to ask Lin Yuanshu what the next step should be for the mosquito coil factory...

Lin Yuanshu was extremely annoyed. Everyone was related to her, and as a junior, she couldn't refuse. Fortunately, her father was clear-headed and took the initiative to refuse their various unreasonable requests.

They had no choice but to return empty-handed.

To avoid further disturbance to Lin Yuanshu, Lin's father simply took them to visit the grave.

Although the purpose was to go back to the production team to pay respects to the ancestors, the process was not complicated. There was no burning of incense or offering of food. They simply kowtowed a few times to the grave and then burned some newspapers and a few pieces of yellow paper left over from the Qingming Festival.

This is also to avoid being reported for feudal superstition. They don't know if other people's families will be reported, but they know that if they have any improper behavior, they will definitely be reported by those who are jealous.

Lin's father knelt at the grave, murmuring to himself, "Although I didn't give birth to a son, my daughter's achievements today are enough to make up for the regret of not having a son. I hope you can continue to bless my daughter with peace and good fortune. I will remember to burn paper money for you during festivals..."

Lin Yuanshu closed her eyes and prayed that her ancestors would bless the Lin family with all things going well and that the original owner of this body could live in another time and space like her.

On the other hand, the Zhou family only learned about Lin Yuanshu's award after reading today's newspaper. They were now used to learning about Lin Yuanshu from the newspaper.

Zhou Dafu looked at Zhou Ma and solemnly instructed, "Go to the black market and buy a big hen, and cut a few pounds of pork belly and ribs. We'll take these things to your wife's house to congratulate her. Once we get there, you'd better pretend you're mute and don't say anything you shouldn't."

It's such a joyous occasion, he can't possibly not visit. If his indifferent behavior gets back to his superiors, he'll be scolded.

The eldest brother nodded in deep agreement and reminded her, "Mom, Dad is right. You'd better watch your mouth. Second sister-in-law is not what she used to be. After she graduates from university, she will definitely go even further. If our family wants to live a better life, we all have to rely on second sister-in-law."

Zhou Ma rolled her eyes, cursing them in her heart for being so useless, having no ability of their own, and relying on others. She couldn't bear to give away so much meat, but unfortunately her opinion didn't matter, and no one cared.

She felt that giving these things away was like throwing meat buns to a dog—they would never come back.

Seeing that his mother didn't respond for a long time, Zhou Dafu asked again, "Did you hear what I just said?"

Zhou Ma said expressionlessly, "I'm sorry, I'm mute and can't speak."

The Zhou family: "..."

It felt like all my previous words had been wasted.

Sister-in-law Xue coughed lightly twice to ease the atmosphere, saying, "Mom, you did very well just now, keep it up."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma initially wanted to scold Sister-in-law Xue, but then felt that speaking now would be like her left and right brains fighting each other, so she could only shut up and sulk, not saying a word to anyone.

Zhou Dafu didn't want to bring his mother to his home, but he was afraid that she would cause a scene and make things even more complicated.

He could only call Zhou Ma after get off work, and the whole family would carry bags and packages to Lin Yuanshu's house to offer their congratulations.

Hearing the knocking at the door, Zhou Xiangyang carried Wenwen to the door and opened it.

Zhou Dafu said with a smile, "Xiangyang, it's been a long time. I heard that Xiao Er's wife won an award, so I brought some things over to congratulate her. They are all meats that she likes to eat. Women are prone to exhaustion after childbirth, so don't forget to cook them for her so that she can replenish her body."

Hearing this, Zhou's mother rolled her eyes. When she gave birth, there was no meat to eat, only eggs. No one told her that childbirth was very detrimental to her health. Everyone just told her that every woman goes through this.

Zhou Xiangyang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You've come at the wrong time. My wife isn't home right now; she and my child's mother went back to the production team."

Zhou Dafu pursed his lips and said softly, "It doesn't matter if she's not here. We came here mainly to bring her meat so she can have something to nourish her body, not because we necessarily want to see her."

This was the first time Zhou Xiangyang had ever seen Zhou Dafu so easy to talk to. He quickly invited them in, since talking at the door all the time wasn't going to work.

Seeing that Zhou Xiangyang was carrying Wenwen, Sister-in-law Xue took the initiative to help him put these things into the kitchen, especially the big, lively hen, which was not only heavy but also very noisy.

Zhou Xiangyang sat in the living room, unsure of what to say to Zhou Dafu and the others. In his memory, he had never had a proper conversation with Zhou Dafu, because Zhou Dafu would only scold him for not being talkative, making him, as a father, lose face.

The eldest brother broke the silence in the living room with his question, "How have you been lately?"

Zhou Xiangyang replied, "It's fine."

After thinking for a moment, the older brother earnestly advised, "A man should have a career. I know you don't like going out and interacting with others, but you can't stay at home forever and rely on your second wife for food!"

Zhou Xiangyang explained, "I can earn money by submitting articles."

Chow Tai Fook immediately objected, saying, "What kind of legitimate business is this!"

Zhou Xiangyang didn't want to answer, so he simply didn't, pretending not to hear what his father said.

The atmosphere in the living room became tense again.

At this moment, Zhou Ma did not notice the change in atmosphere. She focused her gaze on Wenwen and said with regret, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you got married. In the blink of an eye, Wenwen has grown up so much. She is very cute, but unfortunately she doesn't look like you. She is exactly the same as Xiao Er's wife."

Although she knew this was her own granddaughter, her affection vanished instantly upon seeing her face. If she resembled Xiangyang, she might like her a little more, but only if she looked like him, not if she had the same personality.

Zhou Dafu disagreed with this, saying, "There's nothing to regret. It's good that she's like Xiao Er's wife. If she becomes as successful as Xiao Er's wife in the future, then my Zhou family will have a worthy successor."

Zhou Xiangyang thought for a moment and then hummed in agreement.

In the ensuing conversation, no matter what Zhou Dafu and Zhou's mother said, Zhou Xiangyang would simply reply with "uh-huh" to agree with them, trying his best to avoid arguing with them so as not to hurt Wenwen in the process. He was no longer alone.

After more than ten minutes, Zhou Dafu couldn't continue the conversation with Zhou Xiangyang. They didn't have anything to talk about anyway. His son was so quiet that he wouldn't say a word. Talking to him was useless; he would just grunt.

So he took the initiative to leave and once again instructed Zhou Xiangyang, "When Xiao Er's wife comes home, don't forget to remind her to go to Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory when she has time. Director Qian has something to discuss with her."

"Okay, I understand." Zhou Xiangyang's mood immediately improved when he saw them about to leave.

After leaving the apartment building, Zhou Dafu looked at him with a face full of disappointment and frustration. "Your brother's personality is really the same as always. Even after getting married, he hasn't changed at all. If he were even a little bit smarter, our family would have been on Lin Yuanshu's good side long ago. I can't even get him to listen to Lin Yuanshu's advice."

The thought of this made him feel that he had wasted his life giving birth to this son.

The eldest brother couldn't help but sigh. He felt that his younger brother might have learned this from Aunt Zhou. Aunt Zhou's personality had always been annoying, and it had never changed in decades.

Zhou Dafu couldn't help but curse, "Xiao Er's wife is ruthless, she won't listen to reason, and you can't find her weakness at all."

The eldest brother thought for a moment and said thoughtfully, "Those who can climb up are all ruthless. If she had been any kinder, she wouldn't have reached that position. We are just too honest, which is why we have no way to get promoted. Back when you wanted to be promoted to team leader, if it weren't for the second sister-in-law mentioning Director Tang, we would never have thought that we could use Director Tang's help."

Zhou Dafu looked at his elder brother with a complicated expression. There was some truth to what he said. He waved his hand helplessly and said softly, "The only thing we can do now is to try to be on good terms with her and avoid making enemies."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Zhou Ma. As long as Zhou Ma didn't cause trouble, this matter could be accomplished easily.

Seeing this, Aunt Zhou put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Why are you looking at me? I'm not even qualified to see her anymore, how dare I mess with her!"

Zhou Dafu thought for a moment, then threatened again, "You better not forget what I said, or I'll have no choice but to send you back to the production team to stay with my mother."

Aunt Zhou said irritably, "Don't worry, from now on I'll be mute in front of her, so as not to offend all of you."

She admits she's not a good person, but does that mean they are?

Lin Yuanshu didn't just hate her; he hated the Zhou family. They were all equally bad, but he only knew how to blame her, as if she was the one who made all the mistakes.

They're really trying to distance themselves from the issue and just putting on an act.

When the older brother saw that his parents had finally come to their senses and would no longer cause trouble for Lin Yuanshu, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he should be able to keep his job.

Only in this way could he live up to his parents' daily nagging about the consequences of offending Lin Yuanshu, and that they should befriend Lin Yuanshu, which subtly changed their minds.

However, this matter must be continued to ensure that nothing goes wrong, lest one day his parents suddenly have the idea to act as elders in front of Lin Yuanshu and displease him, and he will be the one who suffers the consequences.

Not long after Zhou Dafu and his companion left the apartment building, Lin Yuanshu returned home. She had left with two people, but returned alone.

Lin's mother wanted to stay in the production team to spread her story, so she didn't come back. In other words, she hadn't shown off enough.

Seeing the large hen flapping its wings in the kitchen, Lin Yuanshu guessed, "Are Mom and Dad here? Did they say anything unpleasant?"

Zhou Xiangyang shook his head and said sincerely, "No, their tempers are much better now. They didn't get angry with you even though they knew you weren't home, and they didn't get angry with me even though they could tell I was just giving them perfunctory answers."

Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow. It hadn't been easy for her either! She had finally turned them into normal people who could understand what she was saying.